Double hook arrangement for use with hoisting equipment



Sept. 12, 1967 J w so ET AL 3,340,580

DOUBLE HOOK ARRANGEMENT FOR USE WITH HOISTING EQUIPMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed June 10, 1965 JOHN HART WILSON LEROY P. WILSON FRANK M. POOL INVENTORS BY Wm THEIR AGENT Sept. 12, 1967 J. w Lso ET AL DOUBLE HOOK ARRANGEMENT FOR USE WITH HOISTING EQUIPMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 10, 1965 JOHN HART WILSON LEROY 9 WILSON FRANK M. POOL INVENTORS. BY Wm THEIR AGENT United States Patent 3,340,580 DOUBLE HOOK ARRANGEMENT FOR USE WITH HOISTING EQUIPMENT John Hart Wilson and Leroy P. Wilson, both Wilson Manufacturing Co., P.0. Box 1031, Wichita Falls, Tex.

76307, and Frank M. Pool, R0. Box 1940, San Angelo,

Tex. 76901 Filed June 10, 1965, Ser. No. 462,892 6 Claims. (Cl. 24-241) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A double hook hoisting arrangement for use with traveling blocks, tubing blocks and hoist lines of derricks or masts of drilling rigs, the hooks of which can be alternately and selectively attached and detached from elevators, when hoisting rod or pipe from a well, which hooks are each provided with a safety latch.

This invention relates to traveling block or hoist line hooks and more particularly to a double hook arrangement used in connection with derricks or masts of drilling and servicing rigs to enable rods and pipe to be withdrawn from or run into wells more expeditiously.

Various single hooks, for this purpose, have been proposed heretofore, however, for the most part, these pro vided a hook arrangement from which elevators could not be removed easily and rapidly or be connected thereonto with ease and rapidity.

The present double hook arrangement is for use with a traveling block, tubing blocks or hoist lines and is such that it may be readily detached from one elevator bail and quickly thereafter attached to the elevator hail of a companion elevator to enable two elevators to be used alternately in removing elongated elements such as rods or pipe from a well or running elongated elements such as rods or pipe into a well.

The present double hook arrangement is so constructed that the bail of either of the two elevators being used is guarded against becoming accidentally disconnected from either of the hooks; however when it is desired to remove an elevator bail from one of the hooks and toswing the bail of the other elevator into the other of the hooks, the guard latches of both hooks may be opened simultaneously by one hand, by movement of a single lever or operator means, thereby eliminating the necessity of turning a hook a half turn, which would be necessary if a single hook were used on the hoisting equipment.

The present arrangement is also provided with antifriction swivel means in the hook, so that the hook is free to seek its normal operating position, when it is desired to have the hook operate in this manner. However, the locking arrangement is provided with a plurality of holes around the axis of the swivel so once the correct operating position is determined for the double hook, the hook may be locked in such manner that it will move upward and downward in substantially the same relation at all times. The double hook arrangement is also provided with a transverse pivot so that the load will automatically shift the loaded hook into pulling alignment with the hoist line lifting the load.

Further, the double hook arrangement is provided with a single guard latch operating lever which will simultaneously operate both guard latches with respect to the hooks and, when released, the mechanism automatically locks these guard latches, to prevent outward movement of the elevator bail with respect thereto.

An object of this invention is to provide a double hook V arrangement of hoisting equipment for alternate use with "ice two elevators for alternately moving elongated elements, such as pipe, in a well.

Another object of the invention is to provide a double hook arrangement for hoisting equipment wherein guard latches for both of the hooks may be simultaneously released and moved out of guarding position by an operator means positioned remotely therefrom, and which will automatically lock guard latches in fixed relation when the operator means is released.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a double hook for a hoist line whereby the guard latch or elevator bail retaining member of each book may be simultaneously opened and closed with one hand by an operator.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a double hook for use with elevator shifting equipment to enable elevators for rods and tubing to be used alternately without rotating the hook each time an elevator is connected and disconnected.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a guard latch or retaining member actuating mechanism that may be operated, with one hand, remote from the hook, which is simple and efiicient to use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a guard latch for each of the hooks, which are positively locked against accidental opening.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a double hook for hoist line that is swiveled relative to the line and which may be rotated to selected positions and locked in place against swiveling with respect thereto.

With these objects in view and others which will become manifest as the description proceeds, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate like parts in the several views thereof, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary portion of the mast of a well service rig, showing a cable which would be suspended therefrom in substantially aligned relation with the axis of a well, showing a casing head with a tubing extending upward therefrom, and showing an elevator shifting device attached to the upper end of the tubing and showing a rod positioned therein in supported relation by an elevator, and showing a second elevator being lowered into place with parts being broken away and shortened to bring out the details of construction;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22 of FIG. 3, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of FIG. 5, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, perspective view of a guard latch removed from the mechanism of the double hook arrangement;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged elevational view of the double hook arrangement and showing an elevator bail positioned therein, with parts broken away and shown in section to bring out the details of construction;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged elevational view of a double hook arrangement taken at a right angle to FIG. 5 with parts broken away, with parts shortened and shown in section to bring out the details of construction; and

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 77 of FIG. 5, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

With more detailed reference to the drawings the numeral 1 designates generally a mast of a well servicing rig which has the usual crown block or sheave pulley arrangement on the upper end thereof (not shown) and showing a fragmentary portion of a cable 2 suspended in aligned relation with the axis of well tubing 4, which well tubing is supported in a wellhead 6, as is clearly illustrated in FIG. 1. An elevator shifting device 8 is shown screw threaded to the upper end of tubing 4 so as to present an elevator shifting arrangement at normal work level. A rod 10 is shown extending above an elevator positioned within the elevator shifting device 8, a bail 12a of which elevator is shown. The elevator shifting device 8 has been fully brought out in our co-pending application, filed on the same date as the present application, which application is Ser. No. 462,861, now Patent No. 3,308,970, issued Mar. 14, 1967.

A double hook arrangement 14 is shown suspended by a cable 2 in FIG. 1 with an elevator 12a supported on the far hook with the near hook being in position to receive the elevator bail 12 to enable the raising of rod 10 upward in tubing 4. While reference will be made primarily to the use of the double hook arrangement for using elevators such as indicated at 16 alternately for pulling of rods, it is to be understood that the present hook may be utilized with pipe or tubing lifting elevators for handling tubing or pipe in the same manner.

The double hook arrangement is shown on an enlarged scale, in FIGS. and 6, with the lower portion of the covering of the hook arrangement in FIG. 5 broken away and shown in section to shOW the operating mechanism, with the full line position being shown to lock the elevator bails in place and with the dashed outline position thereof shown to open the hook to enable the removal of an elevator bail therefrom and the insertion of the bail of a companion elevator thereinto. The hooks are generally designated by the numerals 18 and 20, one of which is adapted to receive an elevator bail \12 thereinto and the other of which is adapted to receive an elevator bail 12a, upon removal of elevator bail 12 from the opposite hook, while using the double hook elevator arrangement with an elevator shifting device 8 as shown in FIG. 1.

A guard 26 is provided for hook 118 and a guard 28 is provided for hook 20, both of which guards are simultaneously actuated by a lever or operator means 30, which moves a pair of horizontally positioned bell cranks 32 and 34 simultaneously about respective pivot pins 36 and 38. The lever or operating means 30 is so arranged as to be in gripping relation with a guard or looped handle 40 which will enable the lever 30 to be moved by one hand. The bell crank 32 is secured in rigid relation as by welding, as indicated at 41, to lever 30, and the bell crank 32 is slotted to pivot in sliding relation with respect to lever 30 so that the arcuate movement between the two bell cranks may be compensated for by the slot 42 that pivotally receives pivot pin 44 therein. The pivot pin 44 is held in place by a ring and washer 46. The respective inner ends of the bell cranks 32 and 34 are rounded to form a bearing surface as indicated at 4-8 and 50, and are in bearing relation with wear bosses 52 and 54 on latch bars 56 and 58, which latch bars are fitted within hollow portions of the body of hook 14 and are pivotally mounted therein, on respective pins 60 and 62, for swinging movement, as indicated in dashed and full outline in FIG. 5. The guard latches 26 and 28 are constructed with respective notches 64 and 66 to receive the end of the respective latch bars 56 and 58, on the ends thereof opposite pivot pins 60 and 62, in such manner that when the latch bars 56 are pushed to the outmost position by spring 68, the guard latches 26 and 28 will pivot on pins 70 and 72 so as to form abutments to resist upward movement of the respective guard latches 26 and 28. However, when the lever 30 is moved from the position as indicated in full outline in FIG. 3 to the position as indicated in dashed outline therein, the guard latches 26 and 28 will be released, with the latch bars 56 and 58 engaging the abutments 74 on the respective guard latches 26 and 28, which will move the guard latches into the position as indicated in dashed outline in FIG. 5, and the guards may be held in this position by one hand against tension of spring 68. Upon the release of lever 30 the spring 68 will urge latch bars 56 and 58 apart to move the guards 26 and 28 into the position as shown in full outline in FIG. 5, and the latch bars 56 and 58 will move into the notches 64 which will prevent upward pivotal movement of the respective guards.

The double hook arrangement of the device is pivoted to a swivel member 76 by a pivot member 78, which enables the respective elevator bails 12 or 12a to seek aligned relation between the cable 2 and the rod 10 or pipe when the weight is exerted on the hook. It is preferable to lock the double hook arrangement against rotation on swiveled eye 80 when the cable has attained a straight line movement, that is, so that the hook can be lowered to substantially the same position each time. A slide bolt 82 is provided on a side of swivel member 76, which is adapted to slide into a selected recess of a plurality of recesses 84, as when the slide bolt is in locking position as shown in FIGS. 5, 6,'and 7. However, when it is desired to swivel the double hook arrangement 14 with respect to eye 80, the slide bolt 82 may be moved into position as indicated in dashed outline in FIG. 5, which will permit free swivel movement about the axis of pivot pin 85, which is desirable at times. It is preferable to have the latch bars 56 and 58 and the hook guard latches 26 and 28 pivotally mounted within the hollow portion of the double hook arrangement, so as to guard against damage. Furthermore, the lever 30 is guarded within handle 40 and is sufficiently remote from hooks 18 and as to prevent injury while operating the guard latches 26 and 28.

While the invention has been described in some particularity with respect to the handling of rods with rod elevators, it is to be pointed out that handling elevators for use with pipe and tubing are within the scope of the structure and the rods are illustrative of one form of the use.

Having thus clearly shown and described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A double hook arrangement for use with hoisting equipment, which double hook arrangement comprises;

(a) a body having a supporting eye formed therein,

(b) a main body,

(1) a double hook arrangement mounted on said main body,

(2) said main body being swivelly supported by the body of said supporting eye,

(3) said main body of said double hook arrangement being hollow,

(c) a pair of latch bars positioned within said hollow portion of said main body,

(1) a pair of pivot pins mounted in said main body in parallel relation and pivotally mounting said latch bars,

(2) a pair of guard latches, each having a pair of abutments formed thereon, positioned within the hollow portion of said main body,

(3) a further pair of parallel pivot pins mounted in said main body, which further pivot pins are parallel to the axes of said first mentioned pivot pins, and pivotally mount said guard latches thereon,

(4) each said latch bar being positioned between a pair of said abutments on said guard latches,

(d) a pair of bell cranks associated with said body,

the inner end of each bell crank being associated with the respective latch bars,

(1) bell crank pivot ins in said main body and pivotally mounting said bell cranks exterior of said man body of said double hook arrangement,

(2) the outer ends of said bell cranks terminating in overlapping relation,

(3) an aperture formed in each adjacent, overlapping ends of said bell cranks,

(4) an operator lever,

(5) a pivot pin formed on the end of said operator lever and being associated with the outer ends of said bell cranks, which pivot pin is loosely fitted within only one of said apertures,

(i) means securing said last mentioned pivot pin against longitudinal movement,

(e) spring means positioned between said latch bars to urge said latch bars and the inner ends of said bell cranks outwardly, and

(f) a guard handle associated with said operator lever and being positioned 'a spaced distance therefrom to enable the operator lever and the guard handle to be gripped in the hand of an operator to move said bell cranks against the tension of said spring to move said latches upon engagement of said guard latches by said latch bars.

2. A double hook arrangement as defined in claim 1;

wherein:

(a) the pivot pins which pivot said bell cranks are parallel,

(1) said pivot pins being positioned at a right angle to the pivot pins of said latch bars.

3. A double hook arrangement for use with hoisting equipment, as defined in claim 1; wherein (a) said guard handle is a U-shaped member which lies in the same plane with said operator lever and which extends outwardly therefrom, and

(b) each said end of said U-shaped member being joined to said body, one end of said U-shaped member lying in a horizontal plane above said operator lever, the other end of said U-shaped member lying in a horizontal plane below said operator lever.

4. A double hook arrangement for use with hoist lines and the like, which arrangement comprises;

(a) a support member,

(b) a hook arrangement having a pair of hooks in back-to-back, opposed relation,

(1) pivot means interconnecting said hook arrangement and said support member,

(2) a guard latch pivotally mounted on each hook of the hook arrangement in position to close the throat of each said hook, when said guard latches are in one position,

(3) operating means mounted on said hook arrangement,

(4) a latch bar associated with each said guard latch, to positively hold said guard latches in closed position when said operating means is in one position, and to hold said guard latches in open position, when said operating means is in another position, and

(i) said operating means being operable by one hand to simultaneously operate said latch bars to move said guard latches simultaneously to alternate positions.

5. A double hook arrangement for use With hoist lines and the like, which double hook arrangement comprises;

(a) a body having a pair of hooks formed thereon in back-to-back relation, which hooks extend upwardly and outwardly therefrom,

(b) a pair of guard latches pivotally mounted on said body of said hook arrangement and being so positioned as to close the throat of each said hook, When said guard latches are in one position,

(1) the pivot axes of said guard latches lying in a horizontal plane, which guard latches are arcuately movable to move out of the respective open throats of said hooks when in another position, and

(c) operating means pivotally mounted on said body and being operatively connected to said respective guard latches to actuate said guard latches simultaneously.

6. A double hook arrangement for use with hoist lines and the like, which arrangement comprises;

(a) a body having a pair of hooks formed thereon,

which hooks extend upwardly and outwardly therefrom,

(b) a pair of guard latches pivotally mounted on said body of said double hook arrangement and being so positioned as to close the throat of each said hook, when said guard latches are in one position,

(1) said guard latches each being arcuately movable to move out of the respective throats of said hooks when in another position,

(2) each said guard latch having a pair of abutments thereon near the inner end thereof,

(0) a pair of latch bars pivotally mounted on said body,

(1) a spring biased between said latch bars,

(2) each said latch bar being operatively positioned between said pair of abutments on each said guard latch, with one of said abutments on each guard latch being adapted to move the respective guard latches into raised position when said latch bars are moved against the tension of said spring,

(d) operating means remote from said guard latches by which to actuate said guard latches, and

(1) said spring being adapted to move said latch bars to another position upon release of said operating means remote from said latch guards, with the ends of the respective latch bars being in engagement with an abutment on each said guard latch to lock the respective guard latches against being opened.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 468,213 2/ 1892 Violett 24-235 X 1,631,890 6/1927 Redick 29482 X 1,669,418 5/1928 Lemex 24-241 1,711,346 4/1929 Greve 24241 1,806,908 5/1931 Long 29482 1,825,018 9/1931 Smith 29482 2,488,107 11/ 1949 Abegg 29482 X 2,712,932 7/1955 Gould 29482 X WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner. DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Examiner. 

5. A DOUBLE HOOK ARRANGEMENT FOR USE WITH HOIST LINES AND THE LIKE, WHICH DOUBLE HOOK ARRANGEMENT COMPRISES; (A) A BODY HAVING A PAIR OF HOOKS FORMED THEREON IN BACK-TO-BACK RELATION, WHICH HOOKS EXTEND UPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY THEREFROM, (B) A PAIR OF GUARD LATCHES PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID BODY OF SAID BOOK ARRANGEMENT AND BEING SO POSITIONED AS TO CLOSE THE THROAT OF EACH SAID HOOK, WHEN SAID GUARD LATCHES ARE IN ONE POSITION, (1) THE PIVOT AXES OF SAID GUARD LATCHES LYING IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE, WHICH GAURD LATCHES ARE ARCUATELY MOVABLE TO MOVE OUT OF THE RESPECTIVE OPEN THROATS OF SAID HOOKS WHEN IN ANOTHER POSITION, AND (C) OPERATING MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID BODY AND BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID RESPECTIVE GUARD LATCHES TO ACTUATE SAID GUARD LATCHES SIMULTANEOUSLY, 